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3 area amateur baseball teams advance in state tournaments

Last weekend three local Region 2C amateur baseball teams — Leavenworth, Hanska and Courtland — won the first rounds of the Class C State Baseball Tournament. While many amateur baseball teams make the tournament, it is rare for this many area teams to win in the first round. All three teams will play this weekend, along with the New Ulm Brewers who are in the Class B State Tournament. Local baseball fans will have plenty of teams to cheer for this weekend.

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DNR grant for trap shooting range

Trap shooting is on the rise in the New Ulm area. All three New Ulm high schools have students participating on trap shooting teams and several are members of Sioux Valley Gun Club. Despite the popularity, New Ulm’s Trap Shooting building located at the shooting range is extremely out of date. The building is over 50 years old and has aged beyond repair. Thankfully, a New Ulm was recently awarded a Large Shooting Range grant from the Minnesota Department of Resources to build a new Trap Shooting building. The grant is for $100,000 and requires a matching grant. Sioux Valley Gun Club intends to provide most of the matching funds with some additional money from the city. By next June, New Ulm should have a brand new building at the shooting range that will meet with demand for the next generation of trap shooters.

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MLC students are back

This weekend the last of the Martin Luther College students will return to the college and give New Ulm an influx of young people. The MLC students are not permanent members of New Ulm, but they have a big impact on the community. It is not unusual to see the students working at different businesses throughout town, helping the local economy. This year is extra special because the school has seen an increase in enrollment for the first time in seven years. A little over 600 undergraduates will be attending class at MLC this year, up from around 580 last semester.